SHINGHAL, J. - (1.) THESE two petitions for revision of the order of Additional Sessions Judge, Jhalawar, dated October 24, 1972, by which he did not allow the prosecution to examine those witnesses who had not been examined on its behalf in the committing court and closed its evidence.
(2.) A complaint regarding the alleged commission of offences under sec. 342, 323, 354 and 376/511 was filed by Smt. Kanchan in the court of Munsif-Magistrate, Jhalawar, on March 17, 1971, against the five non-petitioners. The learned Magistrate sent it to the polite for investigation. In the meantime he registered the case on May, 1, 1971 against non-petitioners Kishore Singh and Ramnarain and dismissed the complaint against the remaining three accused. He did not, however, proceed to record the evidence against the accused and thought it proper to wait for the report of the police. The police presented a charge-sheet against all the five accused (the present non-petitioners) in the court of the learned Magistrate, on October 13, 1971. The same day he made an order directing that the procedure prescribed for the trial of a private complaint would be followed by him in respect of the complaint and the charge-sheet, because the accused had made a request that that would be convenient for them. It was therefore directed that the case would proceed in accordance with the provisions of sec. 208 Cr. P. C. The Prosecuting Sub Inspector of Police was, however, associated with the consolidated inquiry of the two cases. Three prosecution witnesses were examined in the committing court as complainant Smt. Kanchan and the Prosecuting Sub-Inspector did not want to examine any other witnesses at that stage. The case was therefore reserved for arguments. The learned Magistrate passed some other orders, but it is not necessary to refer to them as they do not bear on the present controversy. He ultimately made an order on July 13, 1972 committing all the five accused (non-petitioners) to the Court of Session. In the calender which was sent to the Court of Session in accordance with the requirement of rule 28 of the General Rules (Criminal), 1952, the names of eight prosecution witnesses were mentioned, and the Magistrate informed the Court of Session that he would be in a position to secure the attendance of those witnesses within a period of 8 clays. It appears that although seven witnesses of the prosecution were present in the court on October 23, 1973, the learned Additional Sessions Judge recorded the statements of two of them, and admitted in evidence the statement of Dr. G. D. Sharma (who was not among those seven witnesses) on his file. An application was then made before him on behalf of the accused stating that it was not permissible for the prosecution to examine those witnesses who had not been examined in the committing court. The learned Additional Sessions Judge took up the application for consideration on October 24, 1972, and made an order directing that it was not permissible for the prosecution to examine any other witness. The evidence of the prosecution was therefore closed, and the case was fixed for recording the statements of the accused and their witnesses. Both, the complainant Smt. Kanchan and the State have approached this Court for a revision of that order on the ground that it has been made in contravention of the provisions of sec. 286 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The short question which therefore arises for consideration is whether it was permissible for the prosecutor to examine the remaining witnesses even though they had not been examined in the court of the committing magistrate?
(3.) SUB-sec. (1) of sec. 286 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides, inter alia, that the prosecutor shall open his case by reading from the Indian Penal Code the description of the offence charged, and stating shortly by what evidence he expects to prove the guilt of the accused. When that has been done, sub-sec. (2) become applicable and it provides as follows - " (2) The prosecutor shall then examine his witnesses. " It will thus appear that while under sub-sec. (1) of sec. 286 the prosecutor states shortly by what evidence he expects to prove the guilt of the accused, sub-sec. (2) provides for the examination of the prosecution witnesses. It is not disputed that in his opening address under sub-sec. (1) of sec. 286 the prosecutor stated, in short, that he expected to prove the guilt of the accused by the evidence of the witnesses mentioned in the aforesaid calendar. There was therefore no reason why it should not have been permissible, under the law, for him to examine all those witnesses. It is not in controversy in this court that they had been summoned at the instance of the Court of Session and were in attendance in that court on the date when the impugned order was passed by it. The view which I have taken is fortified by a decision of their Lordships of the Supreme Court in Bhagwan Singh vs. State of Punjab (l ). Their Lordships have taken the view that it is not the law that no witness who was not produced in the committal proceedings can be examined at the trial. It may also be mentioned that a similar point arose for consideration before a Full Bench of the Lahore High Court in Mt. Niamat vs. Emperor (2 ). It was held by their Lordships that the law contemplates the calling of evidence in the Sessions Court which has not been produced before the committing magistrate, and that sec. 286 (2) places no restriction upon the counsel for the prosecution. It has therefore been held that the prosecution is at liberty to examine witnesses in the Sessions Court which it has not produced in the court of the committing magistrate, and that the prosecution is not debarred from producing any evidence which it has not produced, in the committing magistrate's court. The decision has held the field, and has been followed in In re B. N. Narayana Reddi (3 ). It has been held in that case that under sec. 286 Cr. P. C. the prosecution is not confined to the witnesses examined before the committing Magistrate but may examine other witnesses as well in the Court of Session. It is true that the State is not entitled to have fresh witnesses summoned for the purpose of their evidence, but if the prosecution has any additional witnesses ready and available for giving evidence, their evidence can be taken without any legal objection. The decisions in Mt. Niamat vs. Emperor (2), and In re B. K. Narayana Reddi (3) have been followed in Jagatram vs. State (4 ). In that case their Lordships have taken support - from the observations of their Lordships of the Supreme Court in Bhagwan Singh vs. State of Punjab (l) and have held that there is nothing in the Code of Cr. Procedure which precludes the prosecutor from producing the witnesses other than those who had already been examined in the committing court, and that sub-sec. (2) of sec. 286 allows the prosecutor to produce his witnesses without any limitation irrespective of the fact whether those witnesses were examined in the committing court. ;